Episode 209 is a chat with our pal, journalist, author, playwright, DJ and wheelchair user Louise Bruton.

Louise has recently restarted her Legless In Dublin platform on a paid Substack (free to disabled people), where she is "covering areas of access and disability, reviews and personal essays that champion disabled people and educate non-disabled people".

It came after Louise had grown exhausted by being a source of free advice for others working in the live music industry who would ask her for an answer about access, a quote for media, or put the burden of the answer on her, so she is charging for that knowledge.

We talk to Louise about the current issues with accessibility at venues. It was eye-opening to hear Louise share her experiences of venues, that are on the surface , accessible, but the inclusivity stops there - with the experience of the gig itself often an afterthought - involving restricted views, bad sight lines, and a limit of one friend to keep you company.

In the last few years, music communities have done much to address inclusivity, gender balance and making spaces more welcoming, but it appears that wheelchair users like Louise are still left wondering when they will be included to the same level of access to the live music experience.

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